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Friday, 26 April 2013

Very Alien, Very Dark and Very Bright

"Long Winged Mantis" :- This beautiful and extremely alien looking creature was captured way back in March 2006. I was sitting watching TV and doodling in my drawing book / sketch pad when it flew into our house (high up in the mountains of Omkoi in Northern Thailand). I put my book down on the table in front of me and watched the mantis fly around the room a few times and then much to my surprise it came to rest on the very drawing pad that I'd just put down. Grabbing my camera (which wasn't too far away...it never is) I grabbed this image knowing that the white paper would make an excellent background. I hasten to add that the out of focus bright pink hair clip on the table was not mine.

"Under & Below" :- A non conventional image of Brighton's famous Victorian pier. It's a view that many tourists don't get to see and it's taken from an area that few dare to enter. Below the main Pier entrance and underneath the metal belly of the structure there's a wide walkway that's reasonably hidden from view. Vagrants and homeless sometimes take shelter there after dark. Tt's dimly lit by natural light during the daylight hours and dimly lit at night with a few bulbs glowing so you have to have your wits about you. Then there's the smell, a stale olfactory numbing mix of seaweed, salt, rust, iron and a few other things that I shall politely omit from my description.

"The Carousel Organ" :- The brightly painted "Golden Gallopers" Carousel sits on the beach of Brighton on the south coast of England. It's an original Victorian Carousel that still gives thrills and provides enjoyment to both young and old. The following information is taken from *Golden Gallopers Carousel By Jennifer Drury* :- _The ‘Golden Gallopers’ on Brighton seafront was built in 1888 by Frederick Savage at his workshop in Kings Lynn. At the beginning of its life it toured the North of England for over twenty years before being bought by an American enthusiast who shipped it to the USA. It was returned to England in 1990, when it was bought and restored by Mr Corbin of Wiltshire. Owen Smith, the current owner, bought the carousel in 1997, and it has been on Brighton seafront from Easter to September every year since then. At the end of each season the carousel is de-constructed to facilitate an essential programme of six months renovation and repair. All parts are inspected for safety and repainting and re-varnishing carried is out._ You can read Jennifer Drury's full article here :- Golden Gallopers Carousel